Supreme Court: "Attempt to Arrest Sitting Judge Severely Violates Judicial Authority... Must Bear Legal Responsibility"

Regarding reports that during the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law Incident,' martial law troops attempted to arrest a sitting judge who had acquitted Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the Supreme Court criticized on the 12th, stating, "If true, it constitutes a direct and serious infringement on judicial authority, causing grave concern."

On the same day, the Supreme Court responded to a media report claiming that General Yeo In-hyung, Commander of the Military Counterintelligence Command, ordered Police Commissioner General Jo Ji-ho to arrest Chief Judge Kim Dong-hyun, saying, "Such an event must never occur in a country governed by the rule of law," and added, "This matter requires swift fact-finding and strict legal accountability."

Chief Judge Kim Dong-hyun, presiding over the Criminal Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court, acquitted Lee in the first trial on charges of perjury inducement on the 25th of last month. Judge Kim is also handling Lee’s cases related to Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, Wirye, and Seongnam FC.

On the same day, the Seoul Central District Court, where Judge Kim works, issued a separate statement expressing strong regret, saying, "Acts that seriously infringe upon judicial independence simply because one cannot accept the outcome of a particular case," and "Such an order alone can only be seen as a serious violation of the principles of the rule of law and the constitutional separation of powers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.